There's the usual "run-o'-the-mill" madness and then there is this. If you've ever fancied yourself as a long distance runner maybe, just maybe, this is the ultimate test for you. But, to begin ... somewhere not a million miles from the Woodbinary Wobble ...
"How on Gaia," I hear you ask, "did you ever get involved in this one?" Well, it was like this m'lud. Do you remember AVR friend Tom Scriven from Weymouth? He is the one we gave the Grizzly No. 1 to a few years ago for suggesting the race title: Apocalypse - Yes. (Naturally enough, as Tom lives permanently at the "edge of self-destruction"). He is also, and always will be, memorable for consuming an unbelievably large volume of Guinness (at least eleven pints) during the 1999 Midsummer Dream Run, only to fall off the road somewhere near Southleigh, fortuitously right in the path of a lady doctor who immediately mended his dislocated shoulder (annie sthetic, quite understandably, not being necessary at the time). Although Tom is 67 he has done many endurance runs, culminating in the achievement of coming third MV60 in the last South Downs 80 (miles) run.
Since Tom was staying at our house after this year's Midsummer Run (something else I did not expect to survive!) I was stupid enough to ask him over breakfast the following morning what his next running ambition was. At first he tried to persuade me to join him in attempting a 24 hour ultra but he quickly saw that neither my heart nor my body were even remotely up to this, even if his were (and I for one certainly wasn't sure about that). However, a compromise was struck - if he entered an ultra then I and another friend - John Woodward (who follows the world-renowned (but currently living on the other side) Canadian ultra runner/teacher Paul Collins (who I met once in Wellington) would provide the necessary support. John is based in Lancaster and teaches a combination of Alexander Technique and running by identifying which type of animal you resemble then getting you to maximise your running potential by training you to run like a bear, or gazelle, or rabbit, or, in Tom's case, a pit-pony. Don't knock it folks....... because it really works. Perhaps we should try an AVR animal night sometime, then again......
So, there we were, an unusual but not entirely useless team (when you think about it - which I do not recommend), track-side in Tooting ready for the off and full of absolutely no idea how Tom would fare. Fortunately there had been enough time for Tom to attend another of John's courses (at Greenham near Wellington) since the ill-fated Midsummer Run and his shoulder problem had been rectified by the simple expedient of telling him that it was no longer necessary to walk like a paper boy without his sack. When I joined the party of 24 hour hopefuls on the Friday evening in a small hotel close to one hand Clapham, I was immediately struck by Tom's appearance of new-found health, strength and confidence. What was he on?
After a prodigious cooked breakfast the next morning we arrived at the track an hour before kick-off. Taking no chances on what might happen later Tom immediately purchased three Sri Chinmoy T-shirts, one each, in case we were defeated and homeward-bound before sunset. The weather was perfect - calm, cloudy and mild. We established base camp on the outside of the track on the opposite side to the HQ and feed station. We could see immediately that the Sri Chinmoy organisation was brilliant; every runner was allocated an official lap and time counter and these people were enthusiastically dedicated to their task. Food and drink was served at regular intervals for helpers and was available continuously for runners. The field comprised 42 assorted "animals", mostly not of the thoroughbred variety. At first glance they could have been 42 individuals chosen at random off the street; they were all shapes, sizes, sexes and ages. Tom was certainly not out of place here which was very reassuring.
You might think that watching forty runners going round and round a track for 24 hours would be mind-numbingly boring but I can assure you that the opposite is the case. Both John and I found it completely fascinating and absorbing how each of the runners tackled this awe-full challenge. How they each balanced running with walking and rest - which all of them had to do, many times. To conserve energy some walked right from the start and there were a few race walkers whose obvious intention was to walk the whole way without much rest at all. Although Tom had planned to mix running and walking his pit-pony style was very efficient and he walked much less than we expected. After a quarter of the race he was about three miles up on his schedule for completing his target of 100 miles. To escape boredom completely the direction around the track is reversed every four hours. Where we lost some time was at the rests. These were planned to take twenty minutes but in fact took mostly 30 to 35 minutes. During this time Tom received massage, food, dry clothes and fresh greasing if necessary. The rules state that you must not take more than five hours rest in total, and we didn't. But "rest" in this case is really a euphemism for "treatment".
As the race began to unfold John and I observed the very different people and styles before us. It was easy to see that most had not changed or adapted their usual running style, particularly the more athletic types. However because the runners were all on the same track and because the faster people were often taking breathers, it was common to see them all talking and sharing their thoughts with each other with no barriers between the different abilities. There was clearly a high level of respect between all of them, irrespective of their pace. Tom covered his first marathon in about five and a half hours (including one hour for rests), very respectable and well on target.
By night-fall the proper runners were around the fifty mile mark but one or two were beginning to feel the pace or even drop out. In fact by midnight all the athletic runners had fallen by the wayside leaving only those whose determination was stronger than their natural running ability. This included several ladies, three of whom were amongst the best overall performers. Our Tom pit-ponied on through the night. The fifty mile mark came up at 23:30 but at this point a rest period was due so that by the time he re-started on the homeward jouney just after mid-night he was just a few minutes behind schedule. This in itself was an amazing performance and we were really enjoying the race, all of us. And it was no hardship to be out of doors watching the event unfold through the small hours, sympathising with the strugglers, congratulating the endurers and generally participating in the "come on, you can do it" cameraderie for all of them. We really found ourselves identifying with most of the runners' individual efforts, though of course there were one or two who remained head down and oblivious to all else nearly all the time. That was just their way of doing it.
For half an hour during the night I beat out a drum for them to curse or run to the rhythm of. Some found it useful. For me it only emphasised, when I stopped playing, the absolute peace and concentration that hung around that track. A significant part of the Sri Chinmoy message relates to finding the enduring Peace within and I bet some of them found it that night. The darkness quickly passed and still they ran or walked, around and around that track. By dawn the field was down to 27 runners but by that time anyone who wasn't going to make it was gone. Tom was still there. By 8 am the talk was of reaching the home straight - only four hours to go. We were assured that if anyone got this far they would finish. But imagine it; a four hour run on its own would be hard enough but following one of twenty hours is a different kettle of Reeboks altogether. As it got light we realised that Tom's schedule had slipped a little so, at his insistence, we abandoned rests. Thereafter he ate on the run and did not leave the track. By this time anyway he was eating much less, which was probably just as well because earlier he had really been piling it in. Well it was all free.
By this time we were supporting some of the other runners nearly as much as Tom. The youngest competitor was an Australian girl of 26. She was decidedly not the ideal build for the job (a Big Girl) and after only a few hours I was amazed to see her still going. However she was still there at dawn plodding and walking around that track. There were times when some of them just had to stop but at other times they found new leases of life. One guy had a marvellous burst of running from about mid-night to 4 am, which eventually took him into fourth place. By dawn however one runner, Tarit Stott of the Sri Chinmoy R.C., had established a good lead and by the end, despite doing his share of walking, had covered 133 miles, about ten miles ahead of the second placed man - the phenomenal 66 year old UK ultra representative Geoff Oliver. In third place was Sharon Gaytor and another well known lady, Hilary Walker, was sixth. Our Tom had some extra support from two other friends, Janet and John, over the last couple of hours and he kept going brilliantly. By the finish he was in 21st place and had covered 91.5 miles. This earned him second Over-60 place and, since this was also the 3As UK 24 hour championship, he picked up a very nice trophy to commemorate his achievement.
After a well-earned shower, rest and meal we packed up camp and headed back to Tom's home in Weymouth. Such was the interest and involvement in the race we had all experienced the whole car journey was taken up with post race analysis - mostly of Tom's effort but also what we had learnt from the others. And straight away there was talk of having another go for the 100 miles target next year. Don't forget, Tom is 67! If he can do it ...
In conclusion, it was an absolutely fascinating race, just to watch. We agreed that to do something like this one must have a plan then be prepared to stick to it absolutely flexibly, depending on what happens on the day from moment to moment. By the time Tom finished we were right back to Plan A having used and discarded the previous 25 versions. I was so impressed that people could cover about, or more than, 100 miles but no-one could afford to go too fast at any time. In the end those with superior will-power triumphed. But it wasn't easy for anyone. I dread to think of some of the post-race aches and pains but the friendly atmosphere surrounding the whole event and the sense of achievement for all the finishers must have made it all very worthwhile. Tom has subsequently written in his local paper that this was one of his absolute life-time highs and we know he has had a few!
Sri Chinmoy is an Indian running Guru, an amazing person, now 68, and instigator of many endurance events. He is behind the Run and Become running shop in London (well worth a visit) and has, as you can probably imagine, provided some of the inspiration for our own AVR Grizzly running experience.